1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains to floor surfaces, and, more particularly, to floor surfaces made of concrete or tile.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is well known that a major cause of failure for concrete floor systems is moisture emitted from the soil. Moisture is the most costly post-construction xe2x80x9cdefectxe2x80x9d because it typically happens within a year after the owner takes occupancy and causes mold contamination problems.
The moisture is in the form of vapor emission that travels upward from the soil and through microscopic capillaries within the concrete. The differential of temperature and humidity between the soil and the building interior causes vapor to be drawn out through the concrete and into the building""s air space or trapped under a low permeable flooring material.
As the water molecules travel upward through concrete, alkaline salts are leached onto the top surface of the concrete. Both water molecules and the alkaline salts can cause deterioration of the adhesive and foam layers used in many floor systems.
Floor tile and flagstone are very popular interior and exterior floor surfaces. Tiles available in both glazed or unglazed surfaces and are available in a wide variety of sizes, colors, patterns and finishes (from glossy to dull matte). Typically, floor tiles are made of ceramic, linoleum, vinyl, asphalt or vinyl-asbestos material sold in 6 to 12 inches squares. Rectangular, hexagonal, octagonal, and rounded-corner tiles are commonly available as well. Sheet-mounted tiles consist of evenly spaced tiles mounted on a backing sheet of paper, plastic or silicone tabs. The sheets are 12xc3x9712 inches or larger and reduce the labor costs in correctly positioning and spacing the individual tiles. Mosaic tiles are normally sheet mounted.
One drawback with tiles is that they must be used with expansion joints between the tiles to protect them from cracking due to expansion and contraction of the substrate. A second drawback with tiles is that the tiles located along the edges must be cut to size to size. This is especially troublesome when tiling xe2x80x9cfree-formxe2x80x9d areas with different radius curves. A third drawback is that specific types of tiles, such as ceramic tiles, are relatively brittle and porous which makes them susceptible to cracking and staining. A fourth drawback is that the thickness of the substrate may need to be adjusted so that the top surface of the tiles are level and set at the desired elevation.
In addition to tile, other durable materials, such as aggregate concrete, brick, flagstone, slate, marble and granite, may be used as a floor surface. While aggregate concrete and brick are the most durable and the less expensive floor surface, they easily stain and are generally considered less attractive. Although flagstone and slate are attractive, they too are easily stained and only available in irregular sizes thus making installation more difficult and expensive. While marble may be more durable, marble is relatively rare thus making it too expensive to use on a wide scale basis.
Granite is a widely available, coarse-rained rock composed of a quartz and feldspar with lesser quantities of mica and other colored minerals such as biotite and hornblende. Granite is usually whitish or gray with a speckled appearance caused by darker crystals. It has greater strength than sandstone, limestone, and marble, and is therefore more difficult to quarry. Because it is more difficult to quarry, it cost nearly the same as marble.
Granite is available in solid slabs and tiles. Solid slabs are generally used as countertops, hearths, and mantles because they produce, flat, smooth attractive surfaces not susceptible to staining. While solid slabs could be used on floor surfaces, they generally are not due to their cost, difficulty in installation, and brittleness.
One drawback of floor surfaces made of natural materials is that color imperfections often occur in the individual tiles. Finding a sufficient quantity of tiles without color imperfections or with consistent color imperfections may be difficult.
What is needed is a low water-penetrating floor surface that has the durability and ease of installation and maintenance as a concrete floor surface, but has a decorative, flat, smooth, and consistent finish equal to that of a granite slab floor surface.
It is a general object of the invention to provide a decorative, low water penetrating concrete floor.
It is another object of the present invention to provide such a floor surface that is made of self-leveling, cementuous material capable of being poured-in-place for easier installation.
It is a further object of the invention to provide such a finished floor surface that has a decorative, flat, smooth granite-like appearance.
These and other objects of the invention which will become apparent are met by a method of manufacturing a concrete, granite-appearing floor surface. The floor surface has a smooth, flat appearance and can be manufactured in place for different shapes and size spaces. The system is used to create a floor surface formed over a new or existing concrete sub-floor or over wood sub-floor. When formed over an existing concrete sub-floor, a penetrating, silicate-based sealant is applied to the top surface of the sub-floor and allowed to penetrate into the small capillaries normally formed therein. After the silicate-based sealant has dried, a mixture of a self-leveling, cementous-based fine topping and the silicate-base sealant is mixed on site under partially controlled conditions and poured in place to produce a consistent floor surface. Suitable colorants may be added to the topping-sealant mixture. After thorough mixing, the topping-sealant mixture is then poured into forms located over the sub-floor. The amount of the topping-sealant mixture poured into the form may be adjusted for any desired height. The topping-sealant mixture is then screed to evenly spread out the topping mixture and to create a relatively flat top surface. Flakes of contrasting material called xe2x80x9cfinesxe2x80x9d are then sprinkled over the top surface of the topping-sealant mixture to simulate a decorative surface. After drying, the top surface is finely ground to a smooth finish. An optional outer coat of penetrating silicate-based sealant may be applied to the top surface of the dried topping-sealant mixture to create a waterproof seal. After the outer coat of sealant has dried, the surface is then ground to a fine surface.
As mentioned above, the above described method may be used on a new concrete floor or old concrete floor. When formed over a new concrete sub-floor, the penetrating silicate-base sealant must be applied to the top surface of the concrete while the concrete is xe2x80x9cgreenxe2x80x9d. This ensures that the silicate-based sealant deeply penetrates and fills the small capillaries formed in the concrete to reduce moisture emission and penetration and reduce alkalinity that often destroy overlayment materials typically applied over the sub-floor. All of the subsequent steps listed above are then followed to produce a low moisture penetrating, decorative concrete floor surface.
There as thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.